Male Household Research Articles

Willingness to pay for hepatitis B virus vaccine and associated factors among households in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia: using contingent valuation method.

The prevention of disease burden and death through vaccination is one of the most cost-effective methods. Even though the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) has significant public health problems in Ethiopia, there is no compulsory HBV vaccination program for adults and the vaccine's market value was not yet estimated in the Ethiopia context. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for the HBV vaccine and its associated factors among households in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 620 households from March 1 to 30, 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the required number of households. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the necessary information. The contingent valuation method was conducted to measure WTP for the HBV vaccine. A Tobit regression model was employed to investigate significantly associated factors, and variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. In this study, 62.17% of households were willing to pay for the HBV vaccine with an average cost of ETB174.24 (US$5.25). Male household heads (P = 0.014), favorable attitude (P = 0.017), and good knowledge (P < 0.001) toward the vaccine were positively associated with WTP, whereas age (P < 0.001), single marital status (P = 0.012) and divorced/widowed (P = 0.018) marital status were negatively associated with WTP. Overall, most households were willing to pay for the HBV vaccine with an average demand of ETB174.24 (US$5.25). Therefore, a national-level HBV vaccine strategy should be designed considering the households' willingness to pay. In addition, working on attitudes and knowledge toward the vaccine could potentially increase the household's willingness to pay for the HBV vaccine.

Spatial Analysis of Relative Poverty: A Case Study of Slum Areas of Karachi

Purpose This study aims to explore the reasons for the existence of relative poverty in Karachi, a metropolitan city in Pakistan. Methodology A self-administered survey was conducted on 375 households in eight, major slum areas in Karachi (Orangi Town, Manghopir, New Karachi, Surjani Town, Bangali Para Gulshan, Lyari, Malir, and Korangi). Logistic regression was used for the data analysis. Findings The results confirm that secondary education for males, the uneducated males, the bread-winning members, and children having no education significantly impacts the dependent variable, i.e., total family income. Whereas, tertiary education of children, secondary education of children, tertiary education of male households, and house possession have no impact on total family income. The result of Andrews and Hosmer-Leme confirms that the model is a good fit. Conclusion The study concludes that the basic cause of relative poverty is unequal access to education, a highly dependent population, and low-earning members. Unequal access to housing facilities is another significant factor that needs to be assessed.

Child and elderly care in South Korea: policy analysis with a gendered, care-focused computable general equilibrium model

The Republic of Korea is characterized by rapid growth of its elderly population, a stagnant working-age population, the world’s lowest total fertility rate, and the largest gender wage gap among the OECD countries. The heavy domestic and care work performed by women who receive little or no help from male household members constrains their labor force participation. The government strives to reduce the growing care burden of households, particularly among women, and raise female labor force participation rates as well as fertility rates. We examine the impact of various policy options to attain these objectives using a gendered computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for Korea. It is the first model in the literature using time use data with a focus on care services provided by the market and households. The simulations focus on the impact of policies that expand public care, provide subsidies to care provided by households or the private sector and reduce female wage discrimination. The results indicate that these policies improve the welfare of households with care responsibilities by freeing up time for women to take on jobs that pay better. Their broader economic impact, however, depends on the flexibility of gender roles in the division of labor both in households and in the broader economy.

Potency of some economic variables affecting environmental quality in Nigeria

Environmental quality (EQ) is germane to achieving sustainable living on earth. To evaluate a related stimulus of EQ on area basis, a comparative analyses of economic factors that influence pollution in Iwo and Ibadan metropolis was carried out. Data for the study was generated through the administration of 700 structured questionnaires in total at both locations, out of which 165 and 473 were retrieved from Iwo and Ibadan respectively. The distribution of respondents in form of male gender, married status, tertiary education and household size of not more than 5 were 51.5%, 78.2%, 24.9% and 46.1% respectively for Iwo, while it was 38.5%, 81.0%, 28.6% and 48.8% in the same order for Ibadan. Economic factors analyzed were (1) Income (2) living standard indexed by the form of accommodation occupied (3) waste/noise management regimen (4) energy utilization (5) orthodox versus green economy adoption and (6) waste sorting capacity. Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of sphericity admitted the data as factorable at p < 0.005. Results showed that three of the economic variables significantly explained the pollution status in Iwo and Ibadan. The variables in Iwo explained 59.3% of the factors and these are waste/noise management strategies (22.5%), living standard (18.7%) and green economy adoption (18.3%). 60.2% of economic impacts on pollution in Ibadan were explained by living standard (24.4%), green economy adoption (18.8%) and waste/noise management strategies (17.0%). Only two of the variables namely living standard, and green economy adoption were common to the two study locations, although, their importance and ordering varied. While waste and noise management were most significant in Iwo, the same variable had the least effect in Ibadan. Green economy adoption was least in Iwo but most significant in Ibadan. Thus, the economic factors influencing pollution in Iwo and Ibadan metropolis, though similar, may not be given a generalized weighting. In other words, analyses of pollution-related matters from the economic viewpoint should be location specific.

Assessment of agricultural mechanization status in rice production and its challenges in the western Nepal

There is a difference of 45% to 55% between the attainable yield and the potential yield of rice. This gap may be due to insufficient inputs and poor mechanization status. In this regard, agricultural mechanization is of the utmost importance to obtain satisfactory yield. This study was conducted to determine mechanization level, power per unit area, probit regression, and challenges faced by farmers to understand the mechanization status in rice cultivation. For this, 98 households in the Pyuthan municipality of Pyuthan district and 87 households in the Bhimdutta municipality of Kanchanpur district were selected using a simple random sampling method. The highest mechanization level was found in the main field tillage (90.92%), followed by threshing (85.24%), the seedbed tillage (52.42%), and irrigation (20.10%). Mechanization is lacking in transplantation, bund preparation, fertilizer application, weeding, and harvesting. Power per unit area was found to be 4.67 hp/ha. Age and family size have a negative impact while male household heads have a positive impact on mechanized tillage and threshing, both statistically significant at a 5% level. The unavailability of farm machinery and land fragmentation were the major challenges in the adoption of farm mechanization. The mechanization status in the study areas is not satisfactory, thus, the strict policy against land fragmentation, dissemination of extension services at the grass root level, and the provision of subsidies for required farm machinery could help the improvement of mechanization status in rice production in Nepal.

The road to recovery: Financial resilience and mental health in post-apartheid South Africa

Following the post-apartheid era in South Africa, global economic hardships and financial shocks have forced most households to endure various mental and psychological stresses.. This has hindered the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3)—good health and wellbeing—prompting policymakers and academics to search for remedies to mitigate such stresses. Highlighting resilience as a means of improving wellbeing, this paper focuses on financial resilience and constructs an index using a multidimensional framework to investigate its association with mental health disorders. Using the South Africa National Income Dynamic Study alongside several robust estimation techniques, we uncover a negative association between financial resilience and mental health disorders among South Africans. More specifically, financial resilience is associated with an approximately 37% decrease in the occurrence of mental health disorders. The results also reveal disparities in the correlation between financial resilience and mental health disorders across different subgroups. Non-Whites (especially Blacks), urban dwellers, and male household heads are shown to most strongly experience the depression-reducing effect of financial resilience. This paper also shows that life satisfaction and household expenditure mediate the relationship between financial resilience and mental wellbeing. Toward the end of this paper, we discuss the implications of our results and offer some policy recommendations.

POLICIES TO REDUCE HOME DELIVERY IN INDONESIA: WHO SHOULD BE THE TARGET?

Introduction: Home delivery increases the chance of maternal death. Aims: The study examines suitable targets for developing policies to reduce home births. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 15,357 mothers through stratification and multistage random sampling, including 13 independent variables: age, education, employment, marital, parity, insurance, knowledge of pregnancy danger signs, antenatal care (ANC), residence, the autonomy of health and family finance, household head sex, and wealth. We examined the data using binary logistic regression. Results: About 23.8% of mothers deliver at home. Older age, higher education, primiparous, insured, knowing the pregnancy danger signs, living in an urban area, and doing ANC ≥4 times were protective factors to not home delivery. Being employed, married, having a male household head, and being poor were risk factors for home delivery. Mothers without health autonomy are less likely to deliver at home than those with health autonomy. Mothers with family finance autonomy are 1.239 times more likely than those without to give home birth. Conclusion: The target to reduce home deliveries: young, low education, employed, married or divorced/widowed, having many children, uninsured, do not know pregnancy danger signs, doing ANC &lt;4 times, living in a rural area, have no health autonomy, have no family finance autonomy, having a male household head, and poor. Keywords: big data, home delivery, maternal health, maternity care, population health, public health.

POLICIES TO REDUCE HOME DELIVERY IN INDONESIA: WHO SHOULD BE THE TARGET?

Introduction: Home delivery increases the chance of maternal death. Aims: The study examines suitable targets for developing policies to reduce home births. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 15,357 mothers through stratification and multistage random sampling, including 13 independent variables: age, education, employment, marital, parity, insurance, knowledge of pregnancy danger signs, antenatal care (ANC), residence, the autonomy of health and family finance, household head sex, and wealth. We examined the data using binary logistic regression. Results: About 23.8% of mothers deliver at home. Older age, higher education, primiparous, insured, knowing the pregnancy danger signs, living in an urban area, and doing ANC ≥4 times were protective factors to not home delivery. Being employed, married, having a male household head, and being poor were risk factors for home delivery. Mothers without health autonomy are less likely to deliver at home than those with health autonomy. Mothers with family finance autonomy are 1.239 times more likely than those without to give home birth. Conclusion: The target to reduce home deliveries: young, low education, employed, married or divorced/widowed, having many children, uninsured, do not know pregnancy danger signs, doing ANC &lt;4 times, living in a rural area, have no health autonomy, have no family finance autonomy, having a male household head, and poor. Keywords: big data, home delivery, maternal health, maternity care, population health, public health.

BOHEMIA a cluster randomized trial to assess the impact of an endectocide-based one health approach to malaria in Mozambique: baseline demographics and key malaria indicators

BackgroundMany geographical areas of sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural settings, lack complete and up-to-date demographic data, posing a challenge for implementation and evaluation of public health interventions and carrying out large-scale health research. A demographic survey was completed in Mopeia district, located in the Zambezia province in Mozambique, to inform the Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa (BOHEMIA) cluster randomized clinical trial, which tested ivermectin mass drug administration to humans and/or livestock as a potential novel strategy to decrease malaria transmission.MethodsThe demographic survey was a prospective descriptive study, which collected data of all the households in the district that accepted to participate. Households were mapped through geolocation and identified with a unique identification number. Basic demographic data of the household members was collected and each person received a permanent identification number for the study.Results25,550 households were mapped and underwent the demographic survey, and 131,818 individuals were registered in the district. The average household size was 5 members and 76.9% of households identified a male household head. Housing conditions are often substandard with low access to improved water systems and electricity. The reported coverage of malaria interventions was 71.1% for indoor residual spraying and 54.1% for universal coverage of long-lasting insecticidal nets. The median age of the population was 15 years old. There were 910 deaths in the previous 12 months reported, and 43.9% were of children less than 5 years of age.ConclusionsThe study showed that the district had good coverage of vector control tools against malaria but sub-optimal living conditions and poor access to basic services. The majority of households are led by males and Mopeia Sede/Cuacua is the most populated locality in the district. The population of Mopeia is young (< 15 years) and there is a high childhood mortality. The results of this survey were crucial as they provided the household and population profiles and allowed the design and implementation of the cluster randomized clinical trial.Trial registration NCT04966702.

Strategi Penghidupan dengan Perspektif Gender pada Rumah Tangga Nelayan Buruh di Kelurahan Kangkung, Lampung

­­The livelihood of fishing laborers’ household rely on seasonal fluctuation of fish catchment and limited livelihood resources. To fulfill their daily needs they strategize by working on various income-generating activities that involve both male and female family members. The purpose of this study are to identify the livelihood resources of male and female household members, to describe the livelihood strategies among labor fisherman households, and to analyze the relationship between livelihood resources and livelihood strategies of fishing laborers households. This research used a combination of qualitative observations and in-depth interviews with a quantitative approach using a questionnaire (mixed method). The results of the study show that the most important livelihood resources for the fishing laborers households is social resources. The most utilized forms of strategy are the intensification and extensification of fishing-related activities, with men extending their time at sea whereas women borrow money from cooperative or moneylenders. All forms of livelihood resources significantly related to the livelihood strategies carried out by labor fishermen households.

Drivers of household food security: Evidence from the Ghana living standards survey

The continuous increase in the population remains a challenge as the demand for food also increases at a greater pace than food production. This study sought to examine the determinants of food security in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standard Survey round seven (GLSS 7) data. Households' food security was measured using a food consumption score (FCS). A partial proportional odds model (PPO) was employed to analyse the drivers of household food security in Ghana. The results showed that being a male household head, engaging in farming, and leaving in rural areas decrease the household's chances of falling into poor and borderline food consumption poverty. The study, therefore, concluded that households in Ghana may be food-consumption-poor due to factors such as low level of education, employment status, and the location of the household, that is being in a rural area. Policies that provide employment and bridge the rural-urban divide, increasing access to education, particularly, nutrition education will enhance household food security status.

The long-term impact of HIV/AIDS on socio-economic status: a comparative analysis of households headed by HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals in Western Kenya

ABSTRACT HIV/AIDS is known to have adverse effects on individual and family socio-economic status due to the loss of productive time and over-expenditure in treatment. However, empirical data on how HIV/AIDS affects households’ socio-economic status are insufficient. We linked socio-economic data from a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) that implements an HIV/AIDS Longitudinal bio-behavioural survey (LBBS) to understand the long-term impact of HIV/AIDS on households’ socio-economic status between 2010 and 2018. We compared changes in socio-economic status between households headed by HIV-negative and -positive individuals. A logistic regression was used to assess factors that influence socio-economic status. The level of education and household size were not significant predictors of households’ socio-economic status. Households headed by HIV-positive individuals could maintain their baseline socio-economic status (unadjusted RRR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.36) but improvement chances were reduced despite a non-significant association (unadjusted RRR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.80, 1.20). While HIV/AIDS is known to disrupt economic growth, in this setting, being a male household head, old and widowed reduces chances of improved socio-economic status. The elderly people, widows and widowers are disadvantaged. Consequently, there is a need for special programmes, which seek to empower the identified vulnerable groups economically. .

Characterization of indigenous chicken production and related constraints: Insights from smallholder households in rural Kenya

Indigenous chickens (IC) contribute significantly to nutrition and socioeconomic wellbeing of rural households. However, despite their potential, production remains low. Attempts to improve IC production among smallholder farmers in Makueni county, Eastern Kenya have achieved little success due to a variety of constraints. This paper explores IC production characteristics and compares the ranks assigned to production and marketing constraints across geographic regions and in male and female-headed households. A descriptive quantitative household survey of 1217 respondents drawn from IC rearing households was conducted and the results integrated with qualitative findings from 22 informants. Results showed an average flock size of 14.9 ± 15.94 IC per household, with female- headed households having relatively fewer chicken than male-headed households. However, relatively more chicken (15.9 ± 18.9) were lost per household during the last disease outbreak compared to the number kept at the time of study. Production system was largely free-range in nature with minimal provision of supplementary feeds. Disease (1.13±0.5), predation (3.16±1.9) and low market prices (3.89±1.9) were three top ranked (Mean Rank±SD) constraints in that order. Lack of capital, high cost of inputs, poor access to extension services and poor access to knowledge ranked significantly higher in female-headed households and in remote areas, while low market price ranked higher in male-headed households. Failure to agree on the selling price was the major constraint to marketing, while rejection of IC due to diseases, inability to agree on selling price and rejection due to size ranked higher in female-headed households compared to male-headed households. Interventions modeled towards improving biosecurity measures to curb diseases, financial empowerment and facilitating access to markets for smallholder farmers should be prioritized.

Prevalence, risk factors, and vaccine effectiveness of COVID-19 infection in thai children, adolescents, and young adults in the omicron era.

The study of prevalence, risk factors, and vaccine effectiveness (VE) in children, adolescents, and young adults during the Omicron era has been limited, making this the objectives of the study. A prospective, test-negative case-control study was conducted on patients aged 0-24 years old classified as patients under investigation (PUI) from January to May 2022. PUI with positive RT-PCR within 14 days were classified as cases, whilst PUI with negative RT-PCR in 14 days were controls. Univariate and multivariate analyses determined risk factors; VE was calculated using [1-adjusted odds ratio (OR)] × 100. The final analyses included 3,490 patients with a PUI infection rate of 45.6%. Heterologous vaccination regimens, including inactivated vaccines, viral vectors, and mRNA were utilized during the study period. A total of 2,563 patients (73.5%) had received at least 2 vaccine doses, regardless of regimen. Male gender and household infections were independent risk factors for the development of infection, with an adjusted OR of 1.55 and 1.45, respectively. Underlying comorbidities and obesity were not significantly associated with the development of infection. Patients with underlying comorbidities were more likely to have at least moderate severity of infection with the adjusted OR of 3.07. Age older than 11 years was associated with lower infection risk and development of at least moderate infection with adjusted OR of 0.4 and 0.34, respectively. Vaccinated participants also had a lower risk of developing at least moderate infection: adjusted OR of 0.40. The adjusted VE of any vaccination regimen for infection prevention for one, two, three, or more than four doses was 21.8%, 30.6%, 53.5%, and 81.2%, respectively. The adjusted VE of any vaccination regimen for prevention of at least moderate severity of the disease for one, two, three, or more than four doses was 5.7%, 24.3% 62.9%, and 90.6%, respectively. Disease prevalence among PUI was substantially high during the Omicron wave. A two-dose vaccination regimen does not appear sufficient to ensure protection against infection.

Gender differences in spending on information and communication technology and transport fuel intensity: Evidence from Ghana

This study estimated the effects of spending on information and communication technology (ICT) on transport fuel intensity and examined how the effects of gender on transport fuel intensity depend on spending on ICT in expanding economies. It applied restricted dependent binary logistic regression to the Ghana Living Standards Survey of 14,009 households disaggregated into 4366 women’s and 9643 men’s households, respectively. The main findings were that ICT expenditures complement fuel intensity in transportation and that spending on ICT has a greater impact on the fuel intensity of transportation in urban households headed by women than in those headed by men. Additionally, the study revealed that households headed by men or women consume less fuel as their income increases, age has an effect on the fuel intensity of the male and full households but not the female households, and the fuel efficiency of female-headed households improved as family size increased. Finally, only female-headed households exhibit a significant correlation between transportation fuel intensity and job status. The original value of this paper is to show that reducing spending on ICT is much more desirable for reducing the intensity of transport fuel in a gender context in expanding urban economies.

Taking high-stakes venture to make ends meet? Determinants and impacts of international migration of Ethiopians to the Middle East

Ethiopia is one of the major origins for international migrants to the Middle East in Africa regardless of the risks and the abuses that migrants face. The study aims to analyse the determinants of international migration of Ethiopians to the Middle East and its impact on the income of households staying behind particularly in the Dessie Zuria district of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. Data were randomly collected from 346 households and analysed using descriptive statistics, logit regression, and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) models. The logit regression analysis indicates that bigger family size, network with migrants/returnees, and the presence of peer/family pressure influence the probability of international migration positively. On the contrary, being a male household head, ownership of larger farmland and livestock, and participation in additional non-farm activities determine international migration negatively. The findings from the PSM model revealed that international migration increased the annual income of migrant-sending households by 13,079.51 ETB per year over non-migrant sending households. However, the benefits enjoyed by the families staying behind have been at the expense of migrants, whose income is hard-earned and they often take a risky route to reach the destination regions. The findings call for an integrated policy approach to control population pressure that depletes the key financial and physical assets of households in the origin and thus forces individuals to look for alternative livelihood strategies such as migration. Location-specific policy interventions are needed to create non-farm and alternative livelihoods, improve agricultural productivity, and access information to reduce exaggerated and misleading information about the destination areas.

Gender disparity in livelihood diversification among rural households in Osogbo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Zone of Osun State, Nigeria

Livelihood diversification is a coping strategy that functions as a cushioning effect owing to dwindling income from agriculture. This study examined the significant differences in income between males and females before and after livelihood diversification. The multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select the respondents. Data were collected through the administration of well-structured questionnaires and were analyzed using both descriptive and multiple regression analyses. The mean annual income of male and female household heads before livelihood diversification was N195,200 ± 4,135 and N220,203 ± 5,300, respectively, while annual income after livelihood diversification averaged N206,195 ± 6,540 and N275,105 ± 4,100 for male and female, respectively. Age (p < 0.01) and years of formal education (p < 0.05) both had positive influence, and farm size (p < 0.01) which was negative were the determinants of livelihood diversification among males. The determinants of livelihood diversification of females were age (p < 0.05) which was negative, while positive factors included household size (p < 0.05), and access to credit (p < 0.01). It was concluded that livelihood diversification increased the earnings of the rural dwellers, with females earning higher marginal incomes than their male counterparts. The study, therefore, recommended that government policy focus on assistance for female rural dwellers in credit accessibility should be strengthened.

Review on Adoption of Improved Soya Bean Technologies: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia

Soybean is a legume crop grown in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates which are used for food and animal feed. However, the production and productivity of soybean is low and improvement in production and productivity depends on the extent to which a household has applied the recommended production technologies. The review was aimed to identify the determinants of adoption and intensity of improved soybean varieties to generate information that helps to understand and evaluate the key challenges in Ethiopia. The review showed that sex of household, age of household head, education, farm experience, participation in training, and extension service affect the adoption of improved soya bean varieties positively and significantly while the distance to the nearest market affects adoption of improved soya bean varieties negatively and significantly. On the other hand, the intensity of adoption was affected by age, soya bean farm experience, participation in training, and size of livestock holding. Most of the studies reviewed in this paper indicated that sex has a significant positive impact on the adoption of improved soya bean varieties. However, the participation of female households in the adoption process indicated that 15% of female-headed households and dominated by 85% of male household heads. Therefore, to improve the adoption of modern agricultural technologies like improved soya beans the following recommendations are forwarded. Female-headed households should get emphasis in all activities of the promotion of new technologies. On the other hand, evidences showed that the huge oil factories in Ethiopia like W. A and BK are using soya bean as a major input to their production. Consequently, those industries demanding a higher amount of soya bean as an input and they are creating a backward linkage to smallholder soya bean producer farmers. For instance, W. A's edible oil factory alone needs 20,000 hectares of land to run the business and 500,000 quintals of soya bean requires per year. Therefore, it can improve smallholder farmers' livelihood by creating market opportunities to supply their products directly to factories. Thus, the promotion of new soya bean varieties, strong linkage between farmers and factories and comprehensive studies on the adoption and impact of soya bean should get attention from the regional and federal government of Ethiopia.

Insights into agropastoral communities’ innovations in uganda's cattle corridor

The rate and scope of environmental shock and stresses are now unprecedented in sub-Saharan Africa resulting into increasing intensity and unpredictability of climate change impacts in particular drought. The innovation efforts to enhance adaptive capacity of livelihoods and production systems are on increase. Innovation includes the new ways of doing things differently or improving the existing technologies. Within the agropastoral areas, existing entreprenueral innovations used and factors influencing success are unassessed. Across-sectional household survey among 426 respondents undertaken in March –June 2022, was used to collect perquisite data on innovation adoption. Principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate probit regression models were used to characterize entreprenueral innovation to drought and its determinants among agroapstoral communities. Results showed agropastoral entrepreneurial abilities were exhibited through soil and water management and product enhancement innovation. Multivariate probit model results also revealed that having improved main house roof, access to improved water sources and memberships loan based organizations significantly increased innovation adoption while male household head, level of education, membership to agricultural based organizations and distance to crop markets significantly reduced innovation adoption. While, agropastoralists adopted many innovations it was in a reactive than proactive manner with limited entrepreneurial skills causing ambiguous effects. We recommend ample follow up research to help unearth the proceses and interlinks between innovations and entrepreneurship skills among agropastoralists.

Determinants of climate change adaptation strategies and existing barriers in Southwestern parts of Ethiopia

Climate change adaptation is critical for sustainable livelihood in developing countries like Ethiopia where rain-fed agriculture is the major economic sector. Cross-sectional data from 442 individuals were collected from the farming communities in southwestern parts of Ethiopia using a multi-stage sampling technique. Multivariate probit model, weighted average index (WAI), and the problem confrontation index (PCI) techniques were applied to identify factors that influence the household decision to adapt to climate change, major adaptation options, and existing barriers, respectively. The results of the multivariate probit model show that access to agricultural extension services, access to climate information, rainfall pattern change, and crop loss were the major factors that influence household decisions to adapt to climate change. Access to agricultural extension services and access to climate information were the key factors that enabled farmers to adopt different adaptation strategies. The male household headship and early onset of rains variables do not influence the household decision to adapt to climate change. Notably, the farming communities use various adaptation strategies to overcome the negative impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. The problem confrontation index results revealed that lack of irrigation facilities, high cost of farm inputs, and infertile soils were the major barriers identified in this study. Thus, strong institutional support is required to overcome the barriers that hinder the farming communities to adapt to climate change.